ANBU's Dog
by Arch-Magos Winter
Summary: Dogs have been associated with death and the underworld since time immemorial. ANBU has never forgotten this. It's time for a new hand to take up the mask of Dog. A rookie ANBU operative is about to learn the full legacy of his new name, and all the danger that comes with it. Survival is not guaranteed, but then again, that's never stopped ANBU before...
1. Prologue: First Hunt

_AN: Well, here's my entry into the desolate, yaoi, Mary Sue, Harem, high school AU, and shipping fic filled wasteland that is Naruto Fanfiction, becoming the proverbial holy diver in this midnight sea of (99%) suck._

_I don't own shit when it comes to the franchise, otherwise it probably wouldn't have convoluted supervillain plots involving what amounts to Godzilla and magic moonbeams._

_I found writing this prologue surprisingly easy; ANBU and the other villages black ops divisions are too often relegated to mook status or ignored entirely (likely because they're better at being spies, assassins, and in general not being seen than our orange wearing main character, or the Akatsuki's really conspicuous uniform. Seriously though, why would a secret terrorist group of some of the most infamous and dangerous renegades in history have a uniform? Isn't the point of a secret group to stay inconspicuous? But I digress...) much to my disappointment. As I see it, they don't engage in the same style of war as their front line cousins. ANBU battles should not filled with flashy attacks or drawn out for the most part. They should be quick, bloody, and chaotic affairs where there is no consideration of honor or mercy._

_...Which is why I wrote this. Read on, and do me a favor by reviewing. Any criticism is good criticism._

* * *

**_Excerpt from Memoirs of a Hokage's Life; by Kakashi Hatake_**

_Probably the years that most shaped me were those after the death of the Fourth Hokage. I'm not afraid to admit this years after the fact – Minato's death is what it finally took to break me a second time. I saw the death of two team mates, one accidentally at my own hands (Though the first came back from the grave in a rather nasty fashion nearly seventeen years later, but I'll cover that later on), but this one was the straw that broke the donkey's back._

_ANBU gave me a focus and purpose when I needed it most. I'd been considering joining the organization before, but now? They provided an escape without killing myself or drinking myself into a stupor, though I suspect the low average life expectancy of an ANBU in those hectic times may have unconsciously influenced my decision. So I donned the mask, and became a faceless killer. There is no doubt in my mind that without the years I spent in ANBU, I wouldn't be writing this book, much less have become Lord Sixth. Any of you ANBU reading this, especially the couple of Dogs that took up the mask in the years since I left it behind, the drinks are on me or in your memory_.

* * *

"Would you rather fight Bear one on one, or go on a date with Hen?"

"Bear. The way you said it, I think I'd be more likely to come out the other end with all my limbs intact."

Goat nodded at the new member of his team, Dog. "Wise choice Rookie, wise choice. Your turn."

"Uhhh, try to pull down the Hokage's mask, or try to sneak into the woman's showers back at HQ?"

Dog shifted his ANBU mask slightly, still unfamiliar with the new piece of equipment. He'd been an ANBU member for all of three days, since the Hokage's missive had come by hawk. One promotion to Special Jonin later and into ANBU he'd been sent. It was in Dog's mind, baffling. He was by no means the best of his year – upper middle at best – and there were much better shinobi he'd served with for the role. One didn't question orders however, unless you were Goat.

That was what Bear had said anyway. Goat had earned it. Everyone in ANBU thought Goat had earned it. Dog knew he'd find out why sooner or later.

"Tricky. Never served with Kakashi back when he was in ANBU; I came in on the tail end of his career. Dog – not you Rookie, him – was a legend. He'd probably kill me before I could blink. On the other hand, sneaking into a place where Hen might be…"

Goat clucked his tongue thoughtfully; tapping his fingers on a branch of the tree he and Dog had taken position in for their ambush. "Showers. I'll take my chances with Hen suddenly realizing what a sexy sexy man I am, and throwing herself at me."

Dog stifled a chuckle. "Where is Hen anyway?"

"Hiding somewhere in the grass over there," Goat said, waving his hand out into the farmland below. "Bear's probably in that stream."

"I just hope that tip off was worth the informant getting a knife in his back."

"Rookie, if this tip-off is legit – and I knew the fucker, it is – then we are about to finish a job that should have been done years ago. Traitors shouldn't get to live that long."

Dog nodded. Every village had its own rogues, renegades, and traitors. It was the reason organizations like ANBU were founded, from the Stone's infamously destructive and callous Demolition Squad to the highly secretive and specialized Body Disposal Unit of the Mist. They did more than just kill those who had forsaken the village though. ANBU and its counterparts engaged in espionage, sabotage, assassination, bribery, interrogation, and much much more, all behind the scenes, at the whims of the Kages and for the security of the villages.

"When's the patrol going to arrive?"

"Schedule said ten minutes, but I don't trust timetables. They'll probably swing ten one way or the other. Who expects an attack in the heartland? Wait, bad question. Who expects an attack behind their lines when not in a war?"

"Us," Dog deadpanned, scanning the tree line ahead for any movement. "It's our job."

"…Smartass."

Goat was silent after that as the wind rustled through the trees, upwind to their ambush site. Dog saw nothing, but something caught his nose as he inhaled. It was a familiar, coppery scent. Blood, and lots of it.

"They're coming. One minute tops."

Goat pulled a kunai out from under his robe, twirling an explosive tag around the handle. Dog couldn't see his face but he knew the veteran ANBU operative was smiling. His heart pounding, Dog slid his knife from the sheath, the leather not even making a whisper on the cold blackened steel. This was it.

The target burst from a clump of trees, clutching a scroll and covered in blood. Hot on his trail was two platoon's of sound ninja. He bobbed and weaved through the tall grass, throwing volleys of shuriken and lighting jutsu back at his pursuers.

"Let them finish him off, and then we go for the kill. Got it Rookie?" Goat said, his body relaxing slightly. Dog noticed him slip a second kunai out from under his sleeve. "Hen and Bear have the same plan, I'll bet you 50 ryo."

One of the Sound Ninja fell, transformed into a pincushion by a well-timed barrage of kunai from the target as he danced around the return fire of his former compatriots. Dog grasped the handle of his knife tighter. Every instinct screamed at him to dive into the fray himself, to end this quickly and efficiently before more Sound Ninja could arrive.

"Easy Rookie. Don't blow it," Goat whispered in his ear. "Calm down. Everyone gets first mission jitters."

Dog slowly nodded, returning attention to the clearing as one of the Sound platoons went down in a hail of senbon needles. Light blue and khaki figures, wearing featureless porcelain red and white masks made a sudden beeline for the target. Dog couldn't believe his eyes for a second.

"Are those-"

"…Shiiiiiiiiiit. They are. Body Disposal Unit. Long way from home ain't they?"

One of the suddenly panicking surviving Sound ninja was suddenly dragged into the tall grass. His screams stopped an instant later, his lifeless body falling directly into the path of one of the Body Disposal Unit. The Sound Ninja's head was barely attached to his corpse, blood flowing from the surgically precise strike that had cut right through the muscle and windpipe in a deadly thin line. The surprise of having a corpse land right in front of him was long enough for an arm to erupt from the ground, and drag the Body Disposal ninja down with it before he could even scream. A similar event happened as one of the Body Disposal Unit tried to leap the stream, instead ending up being smashed in the face with a tetsubo by a rather muscular ANBU operative and dragged flailing downstream as his companions continued the chase.

Torture and Interrogation would want to know why and how many of the Hidden Mist Village's assassins were so close to the territory of the Land of Fire.

It was absolute chaos in the clearing below, and Dog noticed Goat was finally in his element. Cackling, the veteran dropped down onto one of the few surviving Sound Ninja that had sought refuge in the trees, stabbing him in the back of the head with the explosive tagged kunai. Goat then shoved his corpse into a dueling pair of Body Disposal ninja and Sound ninja. The resulting explosion sent bits of meat flying through the clearing, and both of the combatants covered in blood and gore. The surprise was enough for the target to ditch one of his pursuers with a clever reversal, the Sound ninjas own short sword impaling him as the rogue escaped into the tree line, a Body Disposal Unit member covering his flight.

"Rookie, take them out. I'll clean up the scraps," Goat said, before leaping into the mayhem below.

Dog swore, and took off through the tree limbs as more explosions and raucous laughter from Goat erupted behind him. His heart pounded in his chest as adrenaline kicked in, a surge of energy straight from his body that he wouldn't waste a drop of. Dog began making seals with his free right hand as he darted from branch to branch, closing slowly but surely on his prey.

_Fire Style: Red Iron Jutsu._

He ran his hand along the flat of the blade of his knife, feeling it heat up to a temperature that could melt straight through steel with a menacing hiss, yet would not even burn his skin. The chakra-forged metal glowed a cherry red, the aptly named jutsu having achieved its purpose. Dog felt the drain on his reserves but shoved it out of his mind – the hunt was what mattered. He came up on the Mist ninja first.

The Body Disposal Unit member drew a kunai and started his own signs, the moisture in the air and trees draining all around him. A miniature dragon formed from thin air consisting of nothing but pure water. With a roar like a waterfall, it charged at Dog, smashing into him with the force of a raging river. Or rather, it smashed into a fallen log at the last second as the ANBU substituted out of danger.

Dog popped up just behind the Mist ninja, stabbing with a reverse grip at the back of the skull. His opponent twirled around, blocking with the kunai for a split second before the knife melted through the other weapon. The blow continued down through and into the front of the Mist ninja's throat.

Steaming blood and a low gurgle came from Dog's opponent as he withdrew the knife, the Body Disposal ninja dropping to the ground face first. Dog pulled a blood covered chain off from around the corpses neck, examining the dog tags for a second before pocketing them as proof of the kill. Encrypted. Not like he'd expected much more than a codename in all honesty.

Dog turned around, picking up the pace as the target continued to flee into the forest. It was a useless proposition for his prey. The target was tired from fighting off so many enemies before his unexpected allies had appeared. Dog was still relatively fresh. This wouldn't take long. It was almost unfair really. Almost.

He closed the gap within half a minute, preparing a trio of shuriken in his hand. He loosed them while the target was in midair, with no room to dodge. Two of the throwing stars went wide, but one hit its target – the back of the knee.

The rogue's footing failed him, his injured leg buckling before he could attach himself to the tree with chakra. He made a sickening crunch as he fell twelve meters to the ground, bones shattering. Dog dropped down, dispelling the Red Iron Jutsu from his knife. The target coughed up blood from his mouth as he tried to do a jutsu verbally. Dog's ANBU combat boot smashed down on his larynx, forever silencing him. He slowly choked to death on his own blood as Dog relieved him of everything he had on his body, his eyes finally glazing over.

"Too good a death for you," Dog mumbled, shouldering the large pack the traitor had been hauling with him. It probably had something to do with why the Mist's elite unit had tried their hand at protecting him. Leopards never changed their spots apparently. He accelerated back towards the clearing as fast as his legs would carry him.

The battle was already over when he arrived. The grass had somehow started on fire, and Bear was restraining the captives. Hen was wiping her tanto off on the clothing of one of the dead Sound ninja, and Goat nudged her as he saw Dog approaching.

"Looks like I owe you 500 ryo. Whaddya know, the Rookie didn't bite it. Kill 'em both?"

Dog's response to Goat was a rude hand gesture and pulling the bloody tags out of his pocket.

Bear nodded, pleased. "Good work. Goat, take one of the captives. Dog, toss me those tags, will you? Counter Intelligence will want those. Hen, set some explosive tags on the corpses, proximity alert, incendiary types. Let's move out people, Ibiki's going to want to introduce himself to our new friends."

* * *

**_Excerpt_**_** from the International Bingo Book, 145**__**th**__** edition: **_  
**Name:** Unknown, AKA 'Bear'

**Eye Color:** Unknown

**Age:** Mid Forties (est.)

**Height:** 191 cm (est.)

**Weight:** 113 kg (est.)

**Affiliation:** Hidden Leaf Village, ANBU (Special Operations Group)

**Profile:** Name aside from code name is unknown. Is possible that 'Bear' mask from which the name is derived is not his only moniker. Is possible 'Bear' has since changed masks or retired. 'Bear' has an estimated service length and record within ANBU's SOG of 20 years, including several S-Ranked missions. Distinguishing marks are unknown, aside from the typical ANBU tattoo. Is considered highly dangerous, and several villages have offered bounties for a confirmed kill of this ANBU operative. Those seeking more details on these bounties should consult their local bounty office.


	2. 1: Introductions

**_AN:_**_ Yeah, kinda fast on this chapter. When inspiration hits, you take advantage of it. If it's a little short, well, my apologies. A little note, if you haven't determined this already. This story is OC-Centric. Shocking, isn't it, if you didn't read the summary. Anyway, don't worry, quite a few canon characters will pop up. Kakashi is actually a central character in this somewhat; and a lot of the ANBU that have been named within the manga appear._

_On that note, I'm pretty much throwing canon out the window on some aspects (Because they are fucking stupid!) so for the purpose of this story, consider everything after Vol. 55/56 ish out the window, unless mentioned. Because otherwise things get really headache inducing for me plot wise and future projection wise, and it's better for me to just pick and choose what applies instead of grabbing everything as canon. Thanks to Prescripto13 for the confidence and her review. _

_On with the story._

* * *

**_"For Those Who Don't Return" – Unoffical ANBU Motto_**

It was raining in the Hidden Leaf Village, a rare occurrence. The Sixth Hokage sighed as he looked towards his masked face on the Hokage Monument from the window. Everything had changed for him since he'd accepted the inevitable and taken his mentor's old position, but in the end, there were something's he would still cling to. Minato would be proud, and not just of him. Naruto was rightfully shaping up to be the ideal successor to both his father and teacher. The Fourth War and the Aftermath War had proven that time and again.

Oh yes, the Aftermath War. What a chaotic first three years his term as Hokage had been after Tsunade's sudden retirement. The Hidden Grass Village had claimed that they'd captured a Hidden Stone Village spy attempting to kill one of their elders, and promptly used it as an excuse to go to war with the Hidden Stone Village. It quickly escalated from there, the Hidden Sound village using this opportunity to launch an invasion of the Land of Fire. Then the Hidden Waterfall Village had rushed to the aid of the Hidden Leaf and things quickly went to shit.

The great villages had been severely hurting in manpower after the Fourth Great Ninja War, and the minor villages had exploited that. For the first year it had been a sea of defeats on the side of the Hidden Leaf Village, the speed and ferocity of the Sound attacks pushing them back towards the village gates at a frightening pace. Kakashi had been forced to choose between two equally difficult options – a bloody full on counter assault that would crush Sound's forces utterly within months, or a shift to guerilla tactics to bleed the Sound dry that would in the end, likely take years to push the invaders out of the country.

It was a relatively easy choice when Stone's success with the first plan against the Grass resulted in a Pyrrhic victory, leaving the Land of Earth's core fighting force gutted to the point that it would take decades to fully recover.

It took two years to force the Sound to the negotiating table and out of the country, and he'd been forced to take the field when full on battles had been unavoidable. But they'd won, and without a massive amount of casualties on their own side. By all accounts a success, and one that had been draining enough to him that he'd seriously considered throwing in the towel and ending his career when it had ended.

So why hadn't Kakashi retired yet? In his term he'd seen the village through a major conflict relatively unscathed, renegotiated alliances between several of the hidden villages, and was instrumental in preventing a civil war from breaking out over the rightful successor of the Fire Daimyo. For any leader, even a single one of those would be something to be proud of, something to end a career on. The Old Man had done something similar after negotiating the end to the Third Great Ninja War.

Then again, Saratobi had been Hokage for over thirty years by that point. Kakashi was only going on five.

The door burst open loudly. Only four people would do something like that without knocking when it wasn't an emergency. Naruto obviously, and Lady Tsunade whenever she felt Kakashi needed advice, but both were out of the village at the moment. Gai was at a reunion dinner with Lee and Tenten, leaving…

"Anko. Could you please knock next time?"

"Worried I'll catch you in with your nose in a naughty book?" she teased, and Kakashi turned around at last. "Anyway, we need to talk."

"If this is about-" Kakashi began before a dango stick flew past his ear and embedded itself an inch into the wooden window frame. Alright, so it wasn't about that then.

"Why the hell did you do this," Anko said, dropping a stack of papers onto his disk. "He doesn't fit the recommended SOG profile-"

"I read the profile Anko. I have to do that."

"Then why did you even think of letting him in!"

Kakashi closed his visible eye. "You read the profile right?"

"Of course I read the bloody thing!"

"What stood out to you?"

Anko launched herself into a tirade. "Mediocre in most attributes aside from good tracking senses, chakra control and close combat skills; no bloodline, clan, or kekkai genkai, only recently achieved a chakra nature activation, failed the chunin exams twice, and he doesn't like dango." She stated the last one with the type of tone usually reserved for referring to genocidal dictators, the Akatsuki, or child molesters.

"Bear's after-action report on Dog was glowing. He fulfilled all the mission objectives his team assigned to him, and Bear says he's got the potential to become an excellent tracker with a little work. He stays. ANBU needs the manpower."

Anko noted that Kakashi never said why he was picked. She'd need to weasel it out of him at some point. Still, she couldn't argue that the little Doggie hadn't pulled his weight.

"…Fine. Onto the next issue then. Tentatively codenamed 'Mouse'."

"I see no reason not to let her return to ANBU."

"Kakashi, she was Root."

"So are ten percent of ANBU right now." The Hokage said. With the Aftermath War, the Root had been eager to prove their loyalty to the new Hokage. They had – at a terrible cost. They'd practiced what Danzo had preached, sacrificing themselves in futile last stands to hold back the Sound forces or volunteering for the most dangerous and suicidal missions most had never returned from, achieving success at the cost of their own lives. Most of the organization was gone now, the remaining members scattered throughout ANBU, the Medical Corps, and the Combat Units.

It was a true pity that they'd never have their names to add to the memorial of Leaf's fallen heroes.

"Most of them are fully rehabilitated. 'Mouse' is still receiving re-education on how to socialize with people, and how to display emotions. Progress is slow."

"Bear's SOG team still needs an infiltration specialist. She's the best available that we don't need to pull out of a combat unit."

"Fine. Let the pipsqueak back in. But I want a full psychiatric write up on her, at least a month of observation before she's cleared for operations, and for you to pay for dinner next time," Anko said put on a slightly pouting face.

Kakashi smiled that odd, one eyed smile of his. "Deal. Just don't stab the waitress for adjusting the needles in her bun again."

"She fully recovered! Besides Kakashi, I did apologize for it. One last thing. Bear's team hit the jackpot. That rogue that turned on us during the war was carrying a load of scrolls, and the Cryptography division has already cracked several of them." She shoved a folder off her stack and into Kakashi's hands.

"Everything. He was trying to take everything with him. Patrol data, mission dossier's, some of Orochimaru's research files, data on some of the Sound's top operatives, their bingo book, the list goes on and on. The Counter Intelligence people are practically creaming their pants over this."

Kakashi flipped through the folder, letting out a long slow whistle. "…No wonder he was running. Anything from the Mist operatives?"

"Ibiki says they're not talking yet. One of the Yamanaka's that tried to take a peak in their heads got his brain warped; looks like they've got seals or something to prevent a casual brain scan now. Clever bastards. Ibiki's going to start on them himself. Tonight at seven then Kakashi?"

"Hmm?"

"You said you'd be paying for dinner." With that, Anko left with a suggestive wink, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Dog was woken by a light tap on his shoulder. Reflexively he made a grab for his knife, but was stopped by a firm grip.

"Easy," an unfamiliar face said. "I know it was a late night for you with the Counter Intelligence eggheads, but some of us need the couch for things other than napping Dog."

Dog blinked behind his skewed mask. "…Rook, right?" he said, hazarding a guess at the identity of the man without his mask in front of him.

"Close. Now scram. Dogs shouldn't be allowed on the furniture. Oh, and Bear left a note for you on the message board. Chop chop."

The other ANBU operative smiled at his horrible little joke. Dog hastily adjusted his mask as he rolled off the couch, leaving the relatively quiet lounge in ANBU's Headquarters for the hustle and bustle of the hallways. Support staff and intelligence ninja rushed about with stacks of paper and supplies destined for some office, or to compile reports, or to settle office bets on which missing ninja had kicked the bucket first.

It was a rather cheery and upbeat place, considering the usual atmosphere most ANBU operatives attempted to cultivate in the public eye. Practical joking was surprisingly rampant, he noted sourly, when he opened his supply locker to put his mask back inside to suddenly have a load of dog treats fall on his head. Hysterical. Dog dumped his cloak and ANBU combat gear inside the locker along with the mask. They'd given him spares for his home, just in case. Besides, the last thing he wanted anyone to see was an ANBU member entering his apartment.

The neighbors would gossip about it for _months_.

The note was rather simple.

Dog, Hen, Goat:

Takahashi's, 5:30 PM. Plain clothes. Dog, you'll recognize the rest of us. Trust me. PS: I'm paying.

-Bear

He ripped it off the board and pocketed it. Dog left ANBU headquarters with a rather large smile, despite the rain. It wasn't often he had gotten to eat out on a chunin's salary. He'd be holding Bear up to that promise.

Takahashi's was a somewhat popular restaurant among the shinobi population. Selling Land of Wind style cuisine, it quickly found a niche in those that preferred their food hot and spicy, their drinks cold, and privacy upheld. Dog trudged inside and out of the rain, lowering his jacket hood and looking around with interest. The walls were painted to give the appearance of looking out on endless dudes of sand, the lighting only adding to the effect as the shadows gave a feeling of depth to the otherwise flat drawings. Booths with privacy curtains were lined up against the walls, and tables and a bar were set up for the patrons that didn't mind anyone seeing them, or what they were doing.

A smiling hostess wearing an apron with a stylized symbol for 'Wind' on it greeted Dog from behind a podium.

"Hello, may I help you?"

"Uh…." Dog said, scanning the restaurant proper for Bear, before realizing that was futile. He didn't even know what he looked like.

"He's with me Sakura," a low rumble of a voice that Dog instantly recognized as Bears came from inside a booth. "Just give him a menu."

Dog took the laminated folding pamphlet from the cheery woman with a nod and mumbled thank you before hurrying into the booth before any of the other patrons looked twice at him. Three people were inside.

Bear was obviously recognizable, his muscular frame barely contained within the booth itself. Kindly grey eyes looked out from a slightly wrinkled face graced by thick and well groomed mustache that was streaked with white, the Leaf headband tied around his neck. In twenty years or so, he'd look like the classic image of a grandfather. Dog squeezed onto the same side of the booth as the mountain of a man and looked over at the other two occupants.

The man was smoking, much to the apparent distaste of the woman next to him. He looked roughly five or so years older than Dog, and strangely enough wasn't wearing a jacket. Instead, a dull short sleeved shirt allowed his heavily tattooed forearms to be on full display. A Leaf headband was tied around his arm just over where the ANBU symbol would have been inked onto his skin. Dog had a feeling the colorful design was centered around the emblem. He had to be Goat.

That left Hen as the unnamed woman. Dog guessed she was about the same age as Goat, roughly twenty five or so. A rather fashionable blouse was covered by a jonin vest. Her leaf headband held back a mass of brown hair, below which her icy blue eyes sent a disapproving gaze towards Goat. He got the message and ground his dog end out in the ashtray. In plain clothes, Hen seemed to have this motherly aura to her. Dog was almost worried she'd scold him for not combing his hair down.

"Go on and introduce yourself Rookie," Goat said.

Dog swallowed nervously. "Uhhh… my name is Katsu Maki. What about all of you?"

"Well, the big guy is Rikoto Kumaro. I'm Gen Miyamoto, and that bi- ow, I mean, charming woman is Miu Fukui," Goat said, changing his words after Hen elbowed him in the ribs.

Hen gave a loving smile to Dog. "Nice to meet you Katsu. Just ignore Gen, he's always like that."

"Alright, with introductions out of the way, who wants to get to ordering?" Bear asked, flagging down a waitress.

The meal passed in pleasant conversation, and Dog was able to catch a couple of tidbits of information while he ate. The extra spicy mapo tofu was surprisingly good. The group was careful to avoid discussing anything specific about what they did on the last mission.

"So, Katsu, get this," Goat said in between bites. "One of our buddies dealing with our unwanted guests ended up in the hospital. ICU to be precise."

"What? How'd that happen?"

"Dunno, heard it from a guy I know. I bet you one of the unwanted guests had some sort of deadman's switch or booby trap. Hell, that's what some my tat's are!" Goat lit up a cigarette despite another glare from Hen.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. I got lucky with my artist, he died a year or so back. Real shame. Rest of his design had to be done by another guy, Miu you know him, the one that did that heart on your–"

Hen dropped another strategic elbow that knocked the cigarette right out of Goat's mouth.

"A heart where?" Dog asked, and immediately regretted it when Hen's icy glare came his way.

"Gen's had too much to drink."

"Shit no, I haven't. Trust me, I'd be a lot less nice about losing my last smoke if I'd had a stiff drink."

Bear nudged Dog as Hen and Goat started bickering.

"How's the life been treating you?"

Dog looked into his water glass. "Well enough. Glad for the extra money."

"Extra? We get paid more than extra. An A-Rank mission like the last one is a good six figures."

"Seriously?" Dog nearly choked on his water.

"Seriously. I throw most of mine into a bank account. It's insurance, for Chiyo and the kids in case I don't come home sometime." Bear took a swig of sake straight from the bottle the waitress had left there. "Wasn't always that smart, I can tell you that."

"You're married?"

"Eighteen years tomorrow actually. I've got pictures of the kids if you want to see them."

"I'll pass this time." Dog nodded at Hen and Goat's continuing argument. "What's their deal?"

"Them? Oh, they've been like that for years. Not on missions, but as soon as they get home… the gloves come off."

* * *

Ibiki had ditched his gloves a couple of minutes earlier. The blood was starting to seep through the leather. His prisoner hadn't screamed once during the entire time he was working on him with his tools.

"Just talk to me. Tell me what I want to know, and I stop this."

The Mist operative smirked at him, but said nothing.

"You know who you are, and why you were so close to the border." Ibiki continued, dangling the prisoner's dog tags directly in front of his eyes. "I want to know who you are, and why you were so close to the border. Talk to me."

Ibiki saw the man's eyes flicker slightly towards the upper right. It was an unconscious reaction that told Ibiki much more than the man would like him to know.

"I-"

"You were about to lie to me." Ibiki took his finger and shoved it into the puncture wound he'd drilled out in the captives abdomen. The man whimpered slightly, but otherwise showed no signs of pain. At least, until Ibiki started channeling chakra into his finger, coating it in a thin film of electricity. Not enough to kill obviously, but more than enough to cause his victim to start thrashing uncontrollably against his bonds, a scream ripping from his throat.

"Each time you try to lie, I don't get mad. Oh no, far from it. I get disappointed. I feel sorry that you're too stupid to listen to me."

Ibiki pulled out his finger with a wet squelch, the entire digit coated in blood. The captive's spasms stopped, before he collapsed like a puppet with his strings cut. The only thing that was keeping him upright was the chains attached to his arms.

Ibiki grabbed the man's chin and forced him to look directly into his eyes. There was not an ounce of mercy to be found within them.

"You think you can deal with pain. You can. Congratulations. It doesn't mean anything to me. Pain isn't even my best tool. Think on that. I haven't even started with you yet," Ibiki said. He let go of the man's head and then motioned to the ANBU in the corner. "Heal him. Rough him up afterwards, then leave." The words were loud enough to reach the captive even in his stunned state.

The emotionless bird mask nodded. It was standard practice to heal a subject between torture sessions in the Leaf Village, but the captive didn't need to know that. This whole thing was another calculated act on Ibiki's part. He wasn't lying when he said pain wasn't his best tool. Pain was at best an accessory. Your own mind was your own worst enemy, and Ibiki's best friend.

With one sentence, he had shown who was in control, that he had the captive's life in his hands, and that this was only a preview of what he had planned. Every word before that had been just as calculated. This man would break. It wasn't a question of 'if' anymore. It was a question of when.

"Yoush… you knows summat rookie? I thoughtsh you'd kicks da bucket when I left ya behind."

Dog supported the drunken Goat as they continued on through the back alleys of the village to Goat's apartment. A celebratory drink at a local bar after the meal had turned into five, then ten, then fifteen. Dog had abstained from drinking past the second, but Goat had downed everything set in front of him before the bar owner had sent the pair of them packing so he could shut down.

"I know. You bet on me dying, remember?"

"Yeah. I jusht thought yoush die likes the othersh." Goat drunkenly flailed an arm. "Ish dat one. Third floorsh."

Dog redirected the pair into the apartment complex and up the elevator.

"Ish been four yearsh, and I sillsh see 'um all whennsh I'sh got me nightmare."

Dog had a feeling this babble was more than your normal drunken banter.

"Who?"

"My oldsh teaaam. Stucks behind lines fur twosh years Rookie. 'S were I got me inkkksh. Yakuza ini-.. inni… enterence thingy. Kept meshelf alive till war's end."

Goat fumbled with the keys to the lock, before finally succeeding on the fifth attempt. "Whatever yoush does, don't diesh on my watch Rookie. Promish me dat."

"I'll try. Go to bed Goat. Sleep it off, alright?"

Goat sniffed. "Yoush sounds likesh Hen…" he grumbled, before closing the door behind him.

Dog thought on that promise as he walked back to his apartment.

Why the hell had he agreed? He knew the statistics; ANBU agents were most likely to die within the first year of their acceptance into the organization. They took most of the extremely dangerous and critical missions. Sometimes, you just couldn't hack it in ANBU. Despite all the preliminary profiling and preparatory training, despite all your skills, you just couldn't keep up with the rest of the pack. For a Chunin, that meant you started shifting yourself to more non-battlefield roles, and started exploring other ways to serve the village.

For ANBU, not being able to keep up meant death. Some of their missions held no room for error. Either you succeeded, or you died and were with luck buried in a shallow grave because the team couldn't take your corpse back with them. If you were unlucky, all that would remain of your legacy was perhaps a name on the war monument, and on the Wall of Remembrance within ANBU headquarters. There were far too many names on the second that weren't on the first.

As Dog fell into his bed, he wondered if his Sensei's name was on the second.

* * *

**International Bingo Book, 145****th**** Edition:**

**Name:** Unknown AKA 'Hen'

**Age:** Mid-twenties (Est.)

**Height:** 170 cm (Est.)

**Weight:** 66 kilograms (Est.)

**Affiliation:** Hidden Leaf Village, ANBU (Special Operations Group)

Profile: Name, like the majority of ANBU operatives is unknown; 'Hen' moniker is related to the mask. Abilities unknown, though 'Hen' has been known to favor Earth Style techniques. 'Hen' has an estimated service length within ANBU of four years, primarily consisting of B-Ranked and A-Ranked missions. There are currently no major bounties offered on this person aside from standing ones on all ANBU agents by an anonymous party. More information on this bounty can be learned at your local bounty office.


	3. Chapter 2: Training and Fresh Blood

_AN: Blaaaarg. Been wanting to get this done. Enjoy, and there's a longer Authors Note with a couple of little things after the Bingo Book._

* * *

**_"Training isn't always the difference between life and death, but it sure fucking helps"- Unknown, attributed an ANBU captain during the Second Ninja War_**

* * *

Scriiitch. Scriiitch. The pencil made its precise strokes on the paper, kanji formed with a minimum of effort. The small young woman didn't need the paper to tell what the psychologist was writing about her. Didn't he know she was a shinobi? The movement of his hand was enough to discern the characters written. That's what they'd taught her to do as soon as she could read.

_Much better now, can carry on a full conversation comfortably. Still has issues with emotional expression and social courtesy and conduct. Progress is beyond expectations. Mouse is cleared for operations; future therapy is recommended._

Mouse. So that was what she was called now.

It was odd having a name. There had been no names in the Root. The Root was all. She had been Identification Code Delta - 256 for most of her life. And then the Root was gone. They'd made her choose a name from a list then. She'd chosen one of the first, simply to get it over with. She wasn't 'Ayako.' That name meant nothing. She had liked how it looked. Ayako was a decent enough name to tell others though. She would. Ehhh-aaah-cooo. It sounded so odd, but it was fun to say. She didn't get to say it to many people.

Mouse suited her better. Mouse liked her new name.

"Well, I think that's it. You've made a lot of progress Aya- I mean, Mouse," the psychologist said, winking at her. "Enjoy the code name, and welcome back into ANBU."

Why did people wink? Mouse preferred looking at masks. Faces were confusing, always shifting about and sending odd messages. Masks were simple. Only the words and tone of the voice held any importance.

She hadn't known the second mattered until the psychologist had told her it did.

"Anyway, you're to report to Bear. He's somewhere in the village right now; he and his team arrived back from a mission a couple of days ago. I'd advise looking at Training Ground 12."

Mouse nodded, did a slight bow to the psychologist, and then made the seal to body flicker herself away.

)-)-)-)-)-)-)-)

Dog had just reconciled himself with the fact that he had made a monumentally bad choice in a sparring partner when Yugao's kick drove itself home into his kidneys. The kunochi might have been a kenjutsu specialist, but sweet merciful hell she was no slouch at taijutsu. Dog rolled with the blow, shoving the pain out of his mind. He raised the training tanto just in time to prevent the bokken Yugao wielded from smashing him in the head.

Pressing forward, he moved his way down into the other ANBU agent's guard, pulling a training kunai from his belt and angling the stab in a way that with a real weapon would pierce the liver. Yugao disengaged without a second glance towards Dog, deflecting the blow with a twirl of her bokken that also blocked his follow up slash with the tanto in a single elegant movement.

She then once again began to press her reach advantage, forcing Dog to backpedal furiously to avoid the oak sword from hitting him. Yugao was a furious flurry of twirling oak wood and waist length hair that Dog couldn't hope to match. She was a force of nature, and as Dog attempted to counter attack off a lucky block, her eerily musical voice spoke.

"Dance of the Crescent Moon."

Her body split in three, a pair of shadow clones swooping in from just inside Dog's peripheral vision fast enough to leave after images, bokken raised. Dog was quick enough to stop the original Yugao from braining him, but to block the other two was impossible. With a pair of sharp cracks, his world went dark.

He was brought back unceremoniously by Bear dumping a large bucket of water on his head.

"You alright? We had Yugao give you a bit of medical jutsu to prevent a concussion, but I'm still checking."

Dog's only response was a grunt as he rubbed the forming bruises just above his temples. He'd heard Yugao Uzuki was good with a sword, but that technique – she'd just been playing with him the entire time. He could have been defeated at any second, if she'd wished to cut the fight short. Hell, she didn't even seem to be trying during the entire fight.

"I think so. Where'd she learn to do that?"

Bear shrugged. "I suspect her lover taught her before he died. Hayate, or something like that. The man was a genius with a sword. I was in her team when we found his body. She never really has fully gotten over that." He proffered Dog a hand up, which the young agent took thankfully. "Thinking of trying that out yourself?"

"Yeah. It seems like a pretty handy trick." If that is, he could apply it with his knife. Probably not considering it seemed to be a kenjutsu based technique, but the possibility was very tempting to Dog. An attack like that combined with his Red Iron would be amazingly useful when it came to quick and dirty kills. Dog could already see the cauterized hunks of flesh falling to the earth in his mind's eye. "I guess I'll ask her about teaching it to me."

Bear just laughed. "I'd give it a while before trying, and my guess is the answer would be an emphatic 'no'. Besides, you have another session with those crazy dog people today."

"Don't remind me," Dog grumbled, kicking a stone. An Inuzuka jonin had agreed to help him with his tracking after he'd pestered him about it for a whole week. His terms with Dog had been simple: help my cousin with the Inuzuka Clinic when we're short staffed and spar weekly with me, and I'll see what I can do. The weekly spars were primarily due to the fact the other Inuzuka had stopped practicing with the jonin, and Dog had very quickly discovered exactly why. He pulled no punches, or slashes, and Dog could swear he had almost tried to rip out his throat with his teeth last week when the fight had gone to the ground. Dog fought likewise, only stopping short of employing ninjutsu, genjutsu or delivering fatal blows. Otherwise, between the two anything went. Dog felt lucky an Inuzuka medic had taken it upon herself to supervise the sparring training and patching the combatants up; otherwise he would've end up a bloody mess on the ground before their training sessions in the Forest of Death even got started.

He had to admit though; the most psychotic member of the Inuzuka clan that Dog had ever met did know his stuff. He'd given him a basic rundown on how to train a ninja dog, some advice on concealment, and most surprisingly to Dog, how to throw off a scent trail and how to tell when someone was concealing their scent trail. That was worth having a writhing furry wave of ninja puppies try to gnaw your ankles off any day.

The pair looked on as the next two sparring partners took their places. Hen and Goat stood off against each other, Hen in a textbook ready stance, Goat standing stock still with his hands in his pockets and smoke twirling around his head from the cigarette in his mouth.

Kaze was refereeing the match, a necessity in ANBU grudge matches like this one where either participant, or both, had a score to settle. Most ANBU spars were non-lethal weapons only, and for good reason. ANBU killing one another wasn't good for the village as a whole, or the sanity of the commanders.

Dog had heard rumors that the paperwork around such an incident took months to fill out.

"Alright, as soon as this hits the ground," Kaze said, waving a red bandanna, "You two can start. No sharpened weapons or lethal jutsu allowed. Match lasts until one side gives, or I say they've had enough. Getting knocked out counts as a forfeit, as the rookie can attest."

Kaze's eyes glanced at Dog with a twinkle of merriment. One month wasn't enough yet for the tight knit Special Operations Group to fully give up the hazing of the new guy. "Otherwise, anything goes."

Kaze lazily tossed the piece of cloth up into the air. The second a single corner brushed against the ground, Hen made a flurry of hand signs before smashing her hands into the ground. A barely noticeable ripple in the earth sped towards Goat, who made no motion to react. A column of rock cascaded up from under the ANBU, hitting… nothing but smoke? Dog looked around the clearing. Had Goat made a shadow clone earlier and used it to substitute out of danger? Hen was just as surprised, at least until she suddenly doubled over in pain as if an invisible fist had punched her in the gut.

"Clever boy," Bear said. "Katsu, do a ki release."

Dog suddenly understood. "He was never in the starting place to begin with, was he?"

The illusion, once understood and the release performed, faded from his mind. Goat had already had a genjutsu up on everyone before the fight. The illusion was so simple, no one would ever check for it – it simply made it look like he was at a certain point ten meters away from where he actually was, while erasing his true body from sight. Devious, as it played right into what everyone would expect to see. Even the Genjutsu Mistress would grudgingly give him credit for it.

Hen caught on after the second hammer blow to her kidneys. Quickly dispelling the genjutu from her system, she dodged Goat's third roundhouse kick with an eerie grace. Finally able to see her opponent, she closed in, exchanging punches and elbows with Goat at a frantic rate. She'd loaded her gloves with little metal plates on the knuckles, and Dog could see Goat wince slightly from each blow he blocked.

Goat substituted his way out of a kick that snapped the rotten log he'd replaced himself with in half. He performed a trio of hand signs, chakra suddenly pooling in his arms and legs, making itself visible as a coating of crackling electricity. Goat shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, a blur of chakra fueled speed aimed directly at Hen. Hen reacted as fast as she possibly could, raising a fist and punching forward at the oncoming threat, a coating of rock forming around her knuckles.

Goat's lightning coated uppercut clocked Hen dead center in her jaw, as Hen landed an equally punishing blow directly into the center of his chest. The snapping of bones ended the fight, as Hen dropped wordlessly to the ground unconscious, and Goat went dead pale before slumping down to his knees himself, trying not to breathe deeply and risk puncturing a lung. The watching ANBU remained quiet and watchful as Kaze and a medic rushed over to the fallen combatants. The glowing palms began to patch up injuries as Kaze seemed dead to the world, lost in thought.

"Tie," he finally said slowly. "Neither of them is in any state to continue a fight."

Some grumbles erupted from the crowd.

"A fucking tie!?"

"So who gets-"

"Come on, he-"

Kaze blew his whistle for silence. "Will the next two come up please?"

Dog took the commotion as his cue to leave for his less enjoyable training. Strolling off into the forest, he happened to bump into someone.

)-)-)-)-)-)-)

Mouse looked up at the man she'd ran into. He was taller than her, but that wasn't exactly distinctive. Most people were taller than Mouse. He had blackened hair, streaked with a premature smattering of ash grey. Now that was telling. The ash grey, not the black; black was the most common hair color in Fire Country. As such, the color was to be expected for the majority of the inhabitants of the Hidden Leaf Village. The grey was characteristic of severe chakra depletion at some point, or extreme stress. Likely both, Mouse decided.

"Sorry," he mumbled, extending his hand down to the prone Mouse. He looked rather embarrassed, if she was reading his emotions right.

"Is this Training Ground 12?" Mouse asked. She didn't bother taking the hand the man had offered her. Her limbs still worked. Such aid was not needed to get up.

"Yeah. It's occupied right now though. Special training exercises. If you needed somewhere to practice, 13's open-"

"Occupied by who? I am supposed to find a Bear."

The man looked a little shocked by how abruptly Mouse had stated her desire. He recovered quickly however, looking over Mouse with a new scrutiny and what appeared to be an amused look.

"…I don't think you're the right gender for that."

Mouse cocked her head. Odd. That was an unexpected response. Same with what she presumed was some poor attempt at a joke on the man's part.  
"I was told to meet Bear here."

"Are you ANBU?"

"Yes."

"Tattoo?"

Wordlessly, Mouse began to pull off her shirt, much to the surprise of the man in front of her. He made a move to stop her.

"Just rolling up your sleeve is fine," he said, and Mouse noted that his ears were slightly red. Perhaps he was sick? She nodded and rolled up her shirt to the shoulder. The ANBU swirl was obvious on her pale skin, the reddish ink standing out. The man copied her movement, pulling his jacket off of an arm and rolling up his own sleeve to expose the tattoo.

"Rikoto is in the clearing, or at least he was. Right now he's probably shouting at Miu and Gen about nearly killing each other in their spar. I'm guessing you've been added to our team?" The man said, pulling his rust brown jacket back on.

"Yes."

"Thought so. I've heard ANBU sometimes has odd squad organizations. Never been in a five man team myself. I'm Katsu, codename Dog," Dog said, extending his hand out. It took Mouse a couple of seconds before she realized she needed to shake it. So he was relatively new to ANBU. Mouse filed away that fact immediately.

"Mouse."

"And your actual name?"

She hesitated a second, torn between refusing to answer and giving him the name they'd made her take. Then again, perhaps social protocol dictated an exchange of names. The psychologist had taught her something like that.

"Ayako."

"Nice to meet you Ayako. I guess I'll see you soon then."

With that, Dog leaped into the trees, running towards the other side of the village. Mouse watched him go, the rusty brown disappearing easily into the shadows of the tree trunks.

Mouse found her new team member to be satisfactory. The bio had said Dog was primarily a tracker and wetworker. He certainly moved like someone with strict taijutsu or weapon training. Keeping the ANBU mark well concealed was also an indication of discretion. Some ninja were not of the same opinion, and proudly flaunted their clan insignia or village affiliation on every visible surface, or indicated it through facepaint, brands, seals, attire, tattoo's or the like.

The lack of a headband visible was odd though. Most shinobi kept it visible when in the village as a mark of status as part of the military and that they had come of age. Mouse guessed Dog had decided to not wear the symbol of the Leaf in order to blend in among the civilians of the village or perhaps a personal preference. It wasn't required to be worn off duty, but was highly recommended to be worn at all times according to the Leaf Code of Ninja Conduct.

Root had followed all parts of the code but that one.

Mouse moved deeper into the clearing, and sure enough spotted who –inferring by the order of names Dog had listed- was likely Bear. As promised, he was delivering a serious lecture to a pair of ninja in front of him.

"I don't care if he tried to ditch the tab, or she used your locker to store gay porn for a rookie hazing prank. We're a team, and as far as I remember team mates don't attempt to put each other in the intensive care unit for several months during a friendly spar. Miu, you know those gloves aren't for sparring. Gen, you know that setting up an illusion beforehand is a very low move in a friendly match."

Bear paused in his tirade long enough for the woman – Mouse guessed this was Hen, as this was the only female in the team bio she'd requested – to get a word in edgewise.

"So? It wasn't lethal!"

"That isn't the point. The point is that you broke half his ribs in a training spar!"

"I still cleaned her clock!" the other man –Goat, again judging by the bio – said, flicking his lighter back and forth. Mouse noted he avoided looking directly at either Bear or Hen's eyes while talking. Perhaps some repressed guilt? Something to do with whatever that 'tab' was? She'd need to investigate sometime into the matter.

"Cleaned my clock? If I hadn't pulled that strike I could've killed you!"

"Excuse me sir?" Mouse said, cutting off a retort from Goat as Bear turned to see who spoke. "Mouse, reporting for duty."

She performed a bow, before kneeling in the textbook position that she had been instructed in to show obedience to superiors.

"Use me as you see fit."

Silence. Unusual. She raised her head to see the other ninja looking at her oddly.

"…You don't have to kneel you know." Bear said, a hint of what she assumed was amusement gracing his features. Why this response to her was so common would be a matter that needed some further inquiry.

"Great. Another rookie. What the hell am I going to call Rookie now?"

"His codename, obviously." Hen snorted. Goat made a face.

"But that's no fun!"

)-)-)-)-)-)-)

For the second time today, Dog regretted his choice in sparring partners.

The Inuzuka style of taijutsu relied on quick, overwhelming offense with hit and run tactics, often incorporating the use of their signature companion animals. The basic principle of most of its forms was simple, brutal, and straight forward. Savage the foe, and then pull back before he could respond in kind. Then the ninja dog or Inuzuka next to you would strike while he was distracted. One on one, it was an overwhelming offense meant to crush your spine, spill your intestines onto the ground, and tear your head off for good measure all within five seconds if executed properly. In a group, it was a slow death as the pack tore you to little chunks of meat, strike by strike.

Shirou displayed the single person variant of the style in all its bestial glory. Both combatants were splattered in both their blood and each-others, red droplets falling like rain as their blades flashed back and forth. The two's arms and torso's were covered in long thin cuts from blocks and redirects of their opponent's attacks that had still made it far enough into each other's guard to draw blood.

Shirou launched a stab aimed for the upper arm, an obvious fight stopper that in a real battle, would be instead aimed at the lungs or heart. Dog reacted on instinct, his free hand rising up and in a shower of blood, catching the kunai through it. He shoved it down and straight through the back of the hand, latching on to his opponent's hand with as much strength as he could muster. Shirou didn't even bother to attempt to free the blade, instead reacting with a slash towards Dog's ribs. The ANBU blocked it, twisting his own knife to disarm his opponent fully. The kunai went flying.

Shirou didn't even blink. His now free hand grasped Dog's knife arm by the wrist and smashed it into the hilt of the trapped kunai. Dog heard something crack and his hand reflexively dropping his weapon. Dog rammed his head forward into Shirou's in return and felt the jonin's nose break, hot blood now dripping down both their faces.

Shirou's grip loosened on his wrist slightly, and that was all he needed. Dog pulled his sparring partner off balance, before ramming the back of his impaled hand against the trunk of a nearby tree. He lifted his other arm up, grasping the Inuzuka by his shaggy mane and slamming his head again and again into the tree until he fell unconscious at his feet as Dog released his grip. Dog was about to pull the blade out of the tree and his hand in one go, before a tutting noise reminded him of who was watching.

Hana's commanding voice left no room for disobedience. "Idiot. Do that and you might just render your hand useless for the next couple of weeks. Why I ever agreed to babysit you two nutcases is a mystery for the ages."

)-)-)-)-)-)-)-)

The Inuzuka veterinarian looked at the two combatants with a sense of resignation. Oh, their wounds were nothing she couldn't patch up, but the principle of the matter was that with a fight like this was that _she shouldn't have to_.

Hana decided she'd blame Shirou about this one. It was his idea to spar with actual weapons this time - not that that had stopped him from trying to gut Katsu like a fish with some shuriken before, however.. Usually they just pummeled each other into submission, or more accurately, Shirou pummeled Katsu into submission. This was the first spar she could honestly say that the younger man had won.

And the moron had still managed to seriously injure himself. Worse, by choice! Hana scowled as she pulled the kunai straight through the hand while healing the wound as she did so.

"I'd bandage that hand up, that regrown flesh is going to be rather tender, and get some disinfectant on those minor scratches. Not going to waste any chakra on those. Other arm, now."

The student obeyed without hesitation, as she ran her glowing green sphere of healing chakra along his wrist, Katsu's bones knitting back together. Shirou was rather easier to heal. She just had Katsu throw a bucket of ice cold water over his head. The tracking specialist seemed to grin at that.

Shirou sputtered awake, snarling and showing the Inuzuka's characteristically long canine teeth. Shaking himself off like a dog, he managed to growl out a couple words.

"Nice work. Clever move."

"I was afraid for a second that you'd just shake it off and punch me out. Again." Katsu said. He'd pulled a roll of bandages out of a pocket of his discarded jacket and was doing a rather satisfactory job at wrapping his arms and hands. Probably already had some disinfectant applied to the bandages beforehand. Smart.

"His skull isn't _that_ thick. Sure seems like it sometimes." Hana grumbled, a hint of affection hidden behind the insult, before running a basic diagnostic on Shirou to see if there was a concussion or slight fracture to the bone. He came up clean thankfully, though he whined when she twisted his broken nose back into place. She hated dealing with human patients. Always whiny and complaining and never shutting up and just letting her work. Dogs were so much easier.

_'Speaking of which…'_

"Hey, Katsu, you intere-"

Katsu left with a body flicker before Hana could finish speaking.

)-)-)-)-)-)-)-)-)

Dog's childhood home was located towards the walls of the market district; close to one of the gates allowing access into the village itself. Smoke rose from behind it, and the sound of metal striking against metal was easily audible as Dog approached. Ducking under the hanging wooden sign his great-grandfather had erected along with the house and shop when the village itself had been founded, Dog entered the store, ignoring the 'closed' sign. His grandfather looked up, alerted by the bell over the door. His eyes hardened and his normal scowl deepened into a total frown when he recognized who had entered the shop.

"You. Can you read the sign? We're closed."

"Yes Grandfather. I saw it Grandfather."

"Then why did you come in?"

"To see everyone. Besides, Mom wanted me to drop by for dinner."

"I should have known…" Grandfather grumbled, attacking a particularly innocent looking section of the floor with his broom with renewed vigor.

Dog ignored Grandfather, continuing on through the store and into the Maki house proper. The smell of cooking and happy chatter came from down the hall, and he followed it after removing his shoes. Oddly, it was the voices of two women. Dog ran down the list of his Mom's female friends and tossed out every name when it came to the strange voice.

…Oh gods, was she trying to set him up again?

Steeling himself for the worst, he strolled casually into the kitchen. His mother was happy as usual, cheerily stirring the large pot of soup (Rice with chicken and assorted vegetables if his nose wasn't lying to him) as she chattered with a woman in her midtwenties. She was pretty, in a girl-next-door sort of way. Dog noticed she was wearing a ring. Thanking whatever spirits or gods had taken pity on him, he interjected himself into their conversation.

"Hey, that smells nice."

Mom's eyes lit up the second she noticed his presence in the room.

"Katsu!" she squealed, hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you were able to make it. You've been so busy lately! Ayame, this is Kenta's brother, Katsu, this is Ayame-"

Dog nodded at the woman as Mom continued to fuss over him.

"-Are those bandages? What happened? Oh, wait, no, you can't tell me I bet, shinobi business." Mom gave him a wink.

"So you're the little ninja brother that Kenta told me about?"

Dog rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah. That's me."

"And he's just been promoted as well! I am so proud of him!"

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you. So, when are we eating?"

A flurry of activity defined the set up to dinner. Bowls were prepared, cushions set up, and Dog's father grudgingly dragged in from the forge. Grandfather as usual took the head of the table, Kenta and Dad taking their seats to the right of him. Dog ended up sitting at the far end of the left side, next to Ayame.

"Ikadamatsu."

Dog ate the soup slowly, relishing the simple taste of chicken. It was usually a lonely bowl of cheap, unseasoned rice or mil-rats for him, and it was honestly hard to tell which one tasted more like cardboard most days. For a precious moment in time, he lost himself in normal family life, neighborhood gossip, Grandfather's grumbling, Kenta's engagemen-

Wait what?

Dog coughed as a drop of soup went down the wrong pipe.

"You got engaged?"

Kenta nodded sagely, before reaching his hand out across the table to Ayame. "I sent you a letter with the news."

"Oh. I haven't been up to date on my mail recently." Dog lamely responded. It was true, partly. The other part was that all his mail – ingoing and outgoing – was put through the Counter Intelligence division's eggheads to make sure he wasn't compromised or leaking information like the rest of ANBU. He'd need to have a word with whatever bastard had prevented him from hearing about this earlier.

)-)-)-)-)-)

Shikamaru suppressed a sneeze down in the Interrogation Chambers. He had always found this aspect of the Counter Intelligence job a bothersome drag. Ibiki was a hard man to read, and Shikamaru hated being unable to analyze anyone or anything.

"He isn't Mist. The identification tags we decoded all name Body Disposal Unit and Undertaker Squad members that were confirmed killed in action by our agents in the Mist's logistics department. Unless the dead came back to life again, or they got compromised, he's someone else."

Ibiki nodded, dumping his tools into a sterilization solution. It was slightly disturbing just how dark of a red the clear chemicals turned within seconds after that.

"I had my suspicions. They were not acting correctly from my experiences, but I attributed that from the shock of capture and failure, combined with the overwhelming psychological pressure I was inflicting."

"You mean torture." Shikamaru said.

"You could say that."

"Can you find out who they are?"

"Give me a week. The deprogramming is progressing faster than I expected. Their psychological conditioning is starting to fail. I will break them soon."

Shikamaru nodded. It was better news than he'd expected. Perhaps he could get through that damn stack of mail today after all.

* * *

**Extract from the ****International Bingo Book, 145th Edition**

**Name:** Unknown aka "Goat"

**Age:** Midtwenties (Est.)

**Weight:** 73 kg (Est.)

**Height:** 176 cm (Est.)

**Affiliation:** Hidden Leaf Village, ANBU (Special Operations Group)

**Profile:** Typical for ANBU agents the name is based off the animal mask the subject wears, with no information about the name having been discovered at this time. 'Goat' has been confirmed active for six years, judging by apocryphal information and the distinctive yakuza style sleeve tattoo markings the subject has displayed during and since the Aftermath War. 'Goat' is known as a Lighting-style Jutsu user, and is highly trained in guerrilla operations and tactics, along with having displayed medical ninjutsu abilities. It is unknown if this is merely fieldcraft that 'Goat' picked up or if he is a fully trained member of the medical corps, though discretion is advised. 'Goat' is suspected to possess many contacts within the yakuza that operate along the Fire Country borders (For more information on yakuza bounties, please turn to section 5) though if this is through his confirmed period of operation among them or an already established spy network that Konoha possesses is unknown. 'Goat' is currently the subject of three separate bounties by the Hidden Sound Village for a confirmed kill that total to 16 million ryo due to his activities during the Aftermath War. This total does not include the standing bounty on all ANBU agents by an anonymous party. For more information contact your local bounty office.

* * *

_AN: WHOO. Done with this chapter. My apologies for the long wait, a new computer alongside prepping for higher education, work, family, and more IRL stuff combined with my general procrastination is responsible._

_I hope this training chapter sheds more light on the characters and adds to them, along with providing a nice bit of action and peak inside ANBU._

_No, the Ayame in this chapter is not the Ramen Girl. It's a common name and I kinda liked it._

_Mouse is a character I've put a lot of effort into making sound and act distinct and I hope that comes across to you the reader._

_Oh, and go see Pacific Rim. In 3D if possible. It is giant robots fighting giant monsters and if you are anything like me you will love every second of it to death._


End file.
